Image Credit: Facebook / Jamie Belanger

By Jill Sperling

Colorectal Cancer Awareness

Colorectal cancer patients highlight importance of early screening and diagnosis

Mar 24, 2021 | 4:31 PM

KAMLOOPS — March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. It’s among the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Canada, yet many people struggle to talk about it.

Early signs, like bleeding, bloating, pain or weight loss are often brushed off, but if caught early, colorectal cancer is often curable.

Patty Hofmann is in her third round of chemotherapy. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Colon Cancer in November of 2018.

“I did start having bleeding,” she said. “That was the only symptom I had, but it was off and on. I would go to the doctor at that time, and (they) said, ‘Oh, it’s haemorrhoids, so we were trying to treat that, so it was ongoing for about a year and a half.”

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When the bleeding became worse, Hofmann demanded she get a colonoscopy.

“I just wish I would have advocated more, or went in sooner.”

Because colorectal cancer typically grows slowly, it may be present in a person’s body long before they know it’s there.

“It’s really easy to just say, ‘It probably isn’t anything,’ but if it isn’t anything it doesn’t hurt to have it checked,'” said Lindsay Kennedy.

Kennedy began experiencing pain in September of 2019. Thinking it was a hemorrhoid, she brushed it off until the pain increased.

In April of 2020, she was diagnosed with squamous rectal cancer.

“It’s a cancer caused by a virus. The virus is really common; it’s called HPV,” Kennedy said. “Adolescents now get vaccinated for it, but it didn’t exist in my time. Most adults in North America will have that virus once, your body will take care of it, nothing will come of it. But, for a few of us, over the years — 10, 20, even longer possibly — it will slowly turn cancerous and eventually create a tumour.”

Kennedy finished her treatment in August, but continues to travel to Kelowna for regular checks.

Forty-seven-year-old Jamie Belanger’s colon cancer is considered treatable, but not curable.

“I’m a young man, very healthy, been healthy my whole life, no cancer in my family. It’s worth it to get checked,” Belanger said. “Unfortunately, it came all of a sudden for me and it’s something that I’m dealing with.”

Belanger says the chemotherapy treatment he is on appears to be doing the work of shrinking his tumours.

Colorectal cancer can be diagnosed early through colonoscopy. While it may be uncomfortable to ask for one when experiencing symptoms, it could save your life.

“I know it’s embarrassing to have a colonoscopy and having somebody look up that end, trust me,” Hofmann said, “but that is nothing compared to what you would have to go through if you’re at stage three or four.”